Admin wrote: 

Google is set to launch OpenSocial tomorrow a system that will allow developers to build applications for a number of social networks.

Google hopes its OpenSocial system will be able to compete with Facebook, which hosts more than 8,000 widgets and has helped increase it global audience to about 50 million users and raise its market value to $15 billion after Microsoft paid $240 million for 1.6 percent stake in the social network.

OpenSocial has already attracted a number of social networks that will participate in Google’s latest venture including Salesforce.com, LinkedIn, Ning, Hi5, Plaxo, Friendster, Viadeo and Oracle. Developers who have signed on include Flixster, iLike, RockYou and Slide.

Google will also feature the applications on its own social network, Orkut, which is popular in South America.

"Orkut has tens of millions of passionate users who are constantly clamoring for new ways to have fun with their friends and express themselves through Orkut," said Amar Gandhi, group product manager for Orkut, Google’s social networking service.

"By using OpenSocial to open up Orkut as a platform for any developer, we can tap into the vast creativity of the community and make new features available to our users frequently."

Google OpenSocial Social Networks

(Link)

Admin wrote: 

So you were all excited when you first discovered Facebook Groups and noticed that all the cool kids had their own group so you quickly jumped on the bandwagon to create one for yourself. You went through the process of creating an enticing title/description, selected the perfect logo and then proceeded to invite all your friends to join…but now what???

First of all, I don’t think Facebook Groups work for everyone and if you’re creating one from a business perspective it is important to understand the purpose of the group. They work similar to blogs and forums in that you can use them to communicate with members in the community as well help increase awareness of products, news and services in your organization/industry. Below are a few items that you should consider addressing to help prolong the life of your Facebook Group:

• Growing the Community: It’s important that you can continue to grow the number of members in your community for a couple of reasons. First of all, mentally, it gives other group members the confidence that your group is of interest. Secondly, more members usually means more eyeballs viewing your content and more perspectives in the discussion.
  
• Fresh and Relevant Content: As with any blog or information portal on the web, users will come back if the content stays fresh and is relevant to their business needs. I try to post relevant links to PDFs, case studies or posts regularly and this is useful in providing content for my members as well as promoting content from other industry sources. Besides textual content, consider uploading images for your members to view - if you’re in travel post hot destinations or discounts, if you’re in entertainment post brochures or advertisement, if you’re in search marketing post cool landing pages or conference pictures.
  
• Promote Discussion: It’s difficult to get your members to initiate conversation, however since you are quite familiar with your vertical it allows you to get the conversation rolling with questions related to hot topics. Discussion boards are an excellent way to share ideas and get multiple perspectives on a given topic.
  
• Leverage the Community: If you have a community that is truly engaged with your group (i.e.: they actively participate in discussions, communicate with you offline, post links/images video) then you can leverage the community by promoting new whitepapers, events and industry news; this can be done with mass messaging to the entire group. You can also segment the delivery of the content based on the members’ geographic location or type of organization. However, I do recommend you don’t abuse this power because an information overload could lead to members leaving the group.

The social media strategy using Facebook Groups is still in its very early stages, therefore it’s important to experiment with different tactics and share the results on ones which have and have not been successful.

(Link)

Admin wrote: 

The Middleman may never be terminated, but he is cruisin’ for a bruisin’ in the digital age. The latest assault will come, surprisingly, from China, as the government unveils plans to produce a 3D virtual world that allows consumers to order directly from the manufacturer.

That may or may not be a good thing, depending on your point of view. Direct from Chinese manufacturers has its risks when you take out middlemen like Wal-Mart and ToysRUs. At least you know you can hold them accountable for toxic toys and flipflops.

But what are you going to do if a Chinese product you buy directly kills your dog? The government over there doesn’t seem to show much sympathy (or regulation, for that matter, unless it’s an issue of free speech).

Beijing Cyber Recreation District, what the virtual world has been dubbed may take a while to come to pass, and even then, critics argue its "just-in-time manufacturing" model is doomed from the outset, as the shopping experience requires a certain amount of tangibility.

But didn’t they say that about online retailing in general? The model proposed in Beijing just sounds like the next evolution of e-tailing, a massive made-to-order warehouse that works so long as there are enough people ordering a certain kind of shirt.

Personally, whenever possible (and it’s really, really difficult), I avoid buying things made in China. I have my high-horse moral reasons for that. The model, however, doesn’t have to stay in China. It can be applied anywhere, like even (gasp) America, and may even revitalize manufacturing in this country.

No more worries about ridiculous store markups on merchandise, just a sort of made-at-home service fee. I already pay that tax when I can find an American-made product, because I have known and loved people that demand a livable wage here.

And when we look at this model, we have to ask: Whom does it hurt?

Well, we’d have to say the Wal-Marts of the world; doubtful all those mom-and-pop shops out there that were run out of their own home towns will care. They may even have a new avenue for business, a way to compete.

That is, of course, until our corporate governors decide even Wal-Mart needs some kind of protection from those that would fire the Middlemen. And don’t think that couldn’t happen – corporatism is still alive and thriving in America.

Beijing Cyber Recreation District Corporatism

(Link)

Admin wrote: SEO Vs. Branding is a marketing quandary that bigger companies will need to come to grips…
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Today,  ”Within the next two weeks, Google is expected to announce advanced software and services that would allow handset makers to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year, people familiar with the situation say.”
(Link)